1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to block conduit connections. More specifically, this invention relates to a block conduit connection, wherein a device is used to hold a connecting block in place and indicate if the connection has been completely engaged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior to the present invention, many types of sealing configurations have been proposed for connecting a tube to another component of a fluid system. Perhaps most common was the use of a simple O-ring encircling an end of a tube mounted into a port. The tube would be connected to the port using a coaxial fastener that encircled and entrapped the tube. The coaxial fastener would then be screwed down over corresponding threads on the port-similar to a compression fitting - as is known in the art. Although this configuration was very simple and robust against leakage, its primary drawback was that it could not be assembled quickly enough for the modern-day assembly line. In order to torque the fastener to the female port it was necessary to use hand tools, which was too time consuming. Therefore, devices such as cantilevered block connections were developed since they are quickly and easily torqued down using a power tool.
The cantilevered block connection involves a connecting block typically having a teardrop-shaped profile. The cantilevered block entraps the conduit through a conduit passage therein. Also, the connecting block houses a fastener through another passage just offset from and parallel to the conduit passage. A simple bolt-style fastener is used to draw the connecting block and conduit to the port, where the connection can be fastened quickly with a power tool. However, the cantilevered block connection tends to be more susceptible to leakage than coaxial fastener connections and can present significant warranty problems to automobile manufacturers, if not assembled properly.
Cantilevered conduit connections may leak due to incomplete engagement. Such a connection IOP is illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, during final torque-down a conduit 12P and connecting block 60P tend to misalign, cross-axially, relative to a conduit port 44P in a housing 40P. This misalignment is often the result of the cantilever nature of the cantilevered block connection 10P. That is, since the longitudinal axis of a fastener 80P is not coaxially aligned with the conduit 12P, but is instead offset, any torquing of the fastener 80P often imparts a cantilever effect across the connecting block 60P. The cantilever effect results in a maximum hold-down force along the axis of the fastener 80P and a minimum hold-down force at the opposite end of the connecting block 60P at the far edge of the conduit 12P. Therefore the connecting block 60P often does not mount squarely to the housing 40P and likewise the conduit 12P does not mount squarely within the conduit port 44P. Such cross-axial misalignment results in assembly defects such as cutting, pinching, or insufficient "squeeze" of an O-ring 14P, thus permitting fluid to leak by. Therefore, it is important to ensure a square fit between the connecting block 60P and housing 40P.
To ensure a square fit between the connecting block and the housing it is preferable that the assembler have some way of verifying whether the connection is completely engaged. Devices for verifying are well known in the art of coaxially fastened conduit connections, but, until now, there have not been any attempts to adapt similar technology for a cantilevered conduit connection.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,326 to Blair addresses the problem of incomplete engagement of coaxial tubular fittings. Blair discloses a visible snap ring indicator seated within an opening of a female collar that circumscribes a male tube. The male tube mounts into a female tube where the female tube in turn interlocks with the female collar. Blair teaches that upon complete engagement of the female tube into the female collar the visible snap ring becomes unseated and breaks loose of the female collar to provide verification that the connection is completely engaged. While the Blair reference may represent a novel advance in the art of coaxially fastened conduit connections, the structure does not lend itself to cantilevered conduit connections nor does the snap ring indicator provide any audible or tactile verification in the event the snap ring cannot be seen during the assembly process.
Therefore, what is needed is a device for a cantilevered conduit connection that provides an assembler with verification that the connection is completely engaged. What is also needed is a device that provides visible, audible, and tactile feedback to the assembler to provide redundant verification that the connection is completely engaged.